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Breaking boundaries in water research

Ranked among the top 10 water research institutions in the world, the Water Institute is a leader in water research and education.

Distinguished by its commitment to 1) facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration, 2) inspiring innovation and 3) building international partnerships, the Water Institute is tackling some of the most complex water challenges of our time.

News

Around 60% of the world’s population – 4.5 billion people – either have no toilet at home, or one that does not safely manage excreta. In a bid to help break taboos around toilets and make sanitation for all a global development priority, the United Nations General Assembly designated 19 November as World Toilet Day. This day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.

Professor Mark Servos has been appointed a new Fellow of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), in recognition of his leadership within professional and scientific spheres, and within the organization itself. With this award he will now have the opportunity to contribute his expertise on the impacts of contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors, on watersheds as an advisor to the SETAC World Council.

The State of São Paulo, Brazil has faced severe water shortages in the recent past and may be heading towards another water crisis. During this time, the Water Institute has partnered with local stakeholders to help investigate some of the most important aspects of water security in São Paulo, and new and fortified partnerships are driving these initiatives forward.

Events

Freshwater fish provide diverse ecosystem services. Yet, freshwater fish and fisheries are not often a national or regional governance priority and as a result, freshwater fisheries are undervalued and largely overlooked. Due to lack of reliable data, freshwater fisheries have never been part of any high profile global fisheries assessment and are notably absent from the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) offers a variety of prestigious medals and awards recognizing outstanding achievements of Canadian researchers. It is a responsibility of Fellows of the RSC to nominate candidates for these honours, and they are explicitly invited to do so every year.

Earlier this year, Water Institute member Keith Hipel, professor in Waterloo's Department of Systems Design Engineering, was awarded the Miroslaw Romanowski Medal for significant contributions to the resolution of scientific aspects of environmental problems or for important improvements to the quality of an ecosystem in all aspects — terrestrial, atmospheric and aqueous — brought about by scientific means.

On November 29, professor Hipel will deliver the Miroslaw Romanowski Lecture at the University of Waterloo: "Negotiations over Groundwater Contamination."

The NovCare 2019 International Conference (Novel Methods for Subsurface Characterization and Monitoring: From Theory to Practice) will take place May 28-31, 2019 at the Federation Hall and Conference Centre of the University of Waterloo.